Teamsters and UNITE HERE Announce Initiative to Organize UFC Fighters

Teamsters and UNITE HERE Announce Initiative to Organize UFC Fighters

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, two of the largest unions in the "fight capital" of the world launched an initiative to organize MMA fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), the largest promoter of professional MMA events.

"We have been surprised to learn how poorly these professional fighters are treated in the UFC. We want to help them to improve conditions for themselves and raise standards for the sport," said Chris Griswold, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 986, one of the largest Teamsters locals in the country with 17,000 members in Southern California and Nevada.

"UFC fighters can set a new agenda for their sport and make it better by working with regulators, sponsors, investors, and other stakeholders," added Griswold. "As our efforts did for workers in other industries, fighters united for change can make a huge difference."

"All workers deserve to be treated with respect and dignity," said Geoconda Arguello-Kline, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE's Culinary Workers Union Local 226, the largest union in Las Vegas with 55,000 members. "Housekeepers, kitchen workers, and tens of thousands of other workers in Las Vegas have stood up together to fight for an opportunity to provide for their families. There is no reason UFC fighters cannot do the same."

"Our unions can bring more tools and resources to the table, including our relationships with other professional athletes' unions," added Arguello-Kline. "Mixed martial arts play a big part in the success of the Las Vegas tourism industry, and UFC fighters deserve to share in that success, too."

More information can be found at the initiative's website, Fighters' Agenda: www.FightersAgenda.org.

Teamsters Local 986 and UNITE HERE Culinary Local 226 have several joint organizing projects in Las Vegas, including the Station Casinos organizing campaign, one of the largest private-sector organizing drives in the country. Station Casinos, an affiliate of the UFC, is the worst labor law- breaker in the history of Las Vegas gaming industry, having broken federal labor law eighty-eight times.


SOURCE UNITE HERE

RELATED LINKS
http://www.fightersagenda.org/

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BOOM ! Great news.

The start of something significant ? I believe so. We will see how it plays out but it just sounds positive.

hello again LTF!

Hey stu !

What's up buddy?!

This sounds like good news. It's probably what needs to happen: Have already established unions move to unionize the fighters. What will be telling is how Zuffa reacts to this.

Interesting.

Hopefully this works and the fighters benefit.

Hope this helps out the fighters.

Longtime Fan wrote:BOOM ! Great news.

The start of something significant ? I believe so. We will see how it plays out but it just sounds positive.

Great to see you back on here LTF.

Nice to be back on here and see all of you old vet posters. I havnt been on any forum just lurking here and sherdog every now and then but things got really interesting with fedors return and now the fighters Union finally forming (something I wanted to see for years). I have a more optimistic outlook on the future of Mma now.

Longtime Fan wrote:Nice to be back on here and see all of you old vet posters. I havnt been on any forum just lurking here and sherdog every now and then but things got really interesting with fedors return and now the fighters Union finally forming (something I wanted to see for years). I have a more optimistic outlook on the future of Mma now.

Hopefully we get a PRIDE like org back as well

That would be the icing on the cake.


Since UFC has the rights to the name "pride", what name do you think they will call this new org if it comes to fruition ? What would you call it ?

Here are some ideas

Honor fc
Clash fc
Real fc

(I have a feeling they will be Sticking to the one word title just like pride and dream)

Longtime Fan wrote:That would be the icing on the cake.


Since UFC has the rights to the name "pride", what name do you think they will call this new org if it comes to fruition ? What would you call it ?

Here are some ideas

Honor fc
Clash fc
Real fc

(I have a feeling they will be Sticking to the one word title just like pride and dream)

INFINITY sounds like a name the japanese combat sports fans would like.

Golden Age wrote:

Longtime Fan wrote:That would be the icing on the cake.


Since UFC has the rights to the name "pride", what name do you think they will call this new org if it comes to fruition ? What would you call it ?

Here are some ideas

Honor fc
Clash fc
Real fc

(I have a feeling they will be Sticking to the one word title just like pride and dream)

INFINITY sounds like a name the japanese combat sports fans would like.

Those names seem alright and it will be even better if sakkikabara uses the ring and Asian style MMA rules . I like the idea of the ring with a net or something on the bottom to stop fighters falling out . That design they had for that event fedor was a part late last year or early this year I forgot the name yeah something like that .

All the names mentioned sound good to me.